John Rayburn's life in small-town Ohio is boring, to put it in the least. That is, before another version of himself from another universe stops in for a visit. This John, John Prime, is tricky and deceitful, and eventually cons John into taking a spin on his broken universe travel device. John soon finds that the device will not allow him to travel back to his home universe, so he settles in one similar to his own. While there, he enrolls in college, and makes two new friends, Henry and Grace. At one point, John mentions an arcade game, pinball, to the two. Amazed at the concept, the pair demand that he help them to build a pinball machine of their own. Despite his doubts, John agrees to help them.
Meanwhile, John Prime's life in Ohio is definitely not taking off. After impregnating and marrying one of John's former suitors, he is bombarded by lawsuits over his design for a "Rayburn's Cube" similar to a "Rubik's Cube". He is reduced to working in a factory, until the idea is finally accepted by a marketing company. However, his newfound happiness is shortlived, as he is soon incarcerated for murder.
Back in universe 7560, John's idea for pinball takes off, and so does a relationship with an old friend named Casey. However, his newfound obsession with recreating a machine to take him home breaks them up for a time, until he comes to his senses. At this point, John discovers some information on the company that sponsors his pinball business that causes him to worry. He then transports himself back to his home universe to retrieve the one person who could help him to defeat the corporate monsters. It is up to himself and John Prime to save the multiverse from complete destruction.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Paul Menko's beautiful script wowed me from page one to the end. This book has the potential to become the next Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I felt that this book had no weaknesses whatsoever, and never once felt myself yawn as I started a new page. This captivating novel held to an adventurous but scientific theme, and taught me alot about the theories of cosmology and the multiverse. It also challenged me to think outside of my comfort zone, and made me feel as if there could be thousands of universes. I would most definitely recommend this book to others, as the book is a definite attention-grabber!
I gave this book a content rating of "3" because of the sexual situations and extreme language that it contains.
Reviewer Age:13
Reviewer City, State and Country: Charleston, West Virginia United States
